Police use of force : the impact of less-lethal weapons and implications for policing in Malta

Abstract

In doing this research, the author conducted the first ever study about taser use in Malta. This was done by looking up studies conducted in foreign countries throughout the world and relating them to cases reported by the Maltese media. The studies involved revolved around three major issues surrounding taser use; technology used, the safety of taser and situations in which one uses a taser and the training involved to use a taser. It was done in order to see if the behavior of the Maltese authorities, as well as the policies used by the Malta Police Force conformed with policies found in countries which make use of tasers. From the resulting conclusions, one can see that the policies on taser use are similar to other countries, and police officers using the taser adhere to procedures issued by the Police Force itself. This study is important because tasers have only been recently introduced and no studies have been made to see how taser is used in Malta.